The Bashful Lover (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XIX)

In the glittering salons of early‑nineteenth‑century Paris, a grand wedding gathers the city’s most polished company. The groom, Monsieur le Marquis de Grandvilain, is nearing his sixty‑ninth year, while his bride, the forty‑four‑year‑old Aménaïde Dufoureau, has never before known the bonds of matrimony. Their union, set against the formal waltzes and restrained elegance of a Faubourg Saint‑Germain ballroom, offers a vivid portrait of society’s expectations and the quiet stirrings of personal desire.

Through witty observations and gentle irony, the narrator explores how age, propriety, and a lingering bashfulness shape the couple’s first steps together. As the Marquis watches the dance from his armchair and Aménaïde confronts the novelty of love, the story invites listeners to consider whether happiness can bloom at any stage of life, even when the rhythm of the heart feels out of step with tradition.